Following their Champions League final loss, Diego Simeone had hinted on leaving the Atletico Madrid if he was not given the transfer budget to compete with the likes of PSG, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. The club officials seemed to have duly delivered, having already signed highly rated Nicolas Gaitan and now being linked with yet another big money signing in the form of Gonzalo Higuain.
Reigning Premier League champions Leicester City meanwhile are also hot in the market with Claudio Ranieri preparing potential replacements for Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez.
Here are the transfer news and rumours from June 18th.
Serie A
- Napoli have received a massive €60million offer from Atletico Madrid for striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to Corriere dello Sport. The Italian daily reports that Atletico is also ready to offer the Argentine €8million in salary. Higuain had a terrific season in the Serie A, scoring 36 goals in 35 appearances and has attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe.
- Juventus have identified Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi as a replacement for the outgoing Martin Caceres, according to Gazzettaworld.com. Caceres is set to leave the Spanish outfit after his contract expires at the end of this month. Mustafi failed to make it count in his time with Everton but grabbed the headlines after netting in Germany’s opening goal in Euro 2016.
- Napoli have made a £7.8million offer for Manchester United target Fabinho. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the same in a statement: “Yes, we are interested in Fabinho. I offered €10m (£7.8m) to Monaco in order to start negotiations." The Monaco full-back has been on the radar of a host of clubs but Napoli’s offer is reportedly the first one.
English Premier League
- Leicester City are eyeing a swoop for Burnley defender Michael Keane, according to the Mirror, and are ready to dish out £10millon. The center-back left Manchester United in 2015 and Claudio Ranieri wants to bring the 23-year-old to the King Power to provide competition for first choice defensive duo Robert Huth and Wes Morgan.
- Chelsea want to sign Christian Benteke from Liverpool, according to the Times. Antonio Conte wants to pair the Belgian with Diego Costa. Benteke did not meet the expectations at Anfield that came in with his £32.5million price tag last season, Jurgen Klopp instead preferring Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi ahead of the 25-year-old.
- Tottenham have fended off competition from Leicester and have struck a deal with Southampton for Victor Wanyama, according to Sky Sports. The two clubs have reportedly agreed on a fee of about £11million, and a medical could take place in the coming days.
- Jose Mourinho is preparing to raid former club Chelsea to bring in Cesar Azpilicueta to Manchester United, according to AS. The Spanish newspaper has claimed that Antonio Conte is ready to sell the full-back for a cut priced fee of £11.8million this summer. Mourinho is a big fan of the player but will have to face competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao for the Spaniard’s signature.
La Liga
- Real Madrid are preparing to send highly rated youngster, Martin Odegaard out on loan this summer. The 17-year-old has not been given much game time to impress, and a move away from the Bernabeu to a new club may improve his game. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, club president Florentino Perez will meet with manager Zinedine Zidane to discuss the teenager’s future.
- Manchester United, Paris St Germain and Real Madrid are ready to meet Neymar's £157million release clause at Barcelona, the Express claims. Earlier, Neymar’s former agent had hinted at three anonymous clubs as being ready to pay the Brazilian’s release clause as well as extravagant wages. It has also been reported that the 24-year-old is free to talk to clubs ready to meet his price tag
- Real Madrid have slapped a £24million price tag on the head of striker Mateo Kovacic, and Liverpool are willing to meet the fee according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Los Blancos want to sell rather than loan out the 22-year-old who has struggled to nail down a regular first-team spot. Jurgen Klopp is keen to bring in the player and help him play further football next season.
Rest of Europe
- River Plate defender Gabriel Mercado is being scouted by Liverpool, the club's president Rodolfo D'Onofriohas has told Fox Sports. Mercado is currently on international duty at the Copa America with Argentina, and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was spotted last week attending the clash between Argentina and Chile in which the defender scored.
- AFC Ajax have completed the signing of Colombian forward Mateo Cassierra from Deportivo Cali FC. Cassiera scored 17 goals in 59 appearances for Cali and has signed a five-year contract with the Dutch club. Ajax have reportedly paid a transfer fee of €5.5million for the 19-year-old.
